Tuition Fees and Refunds

Interrupting your studies

The following table explains what you will have to pay depending on when you interrupt your studies and when your school agrees you can return.

Table 1: Fee liability following an interruption

Start of interruption

Resuming at the start of semester 1

Resuming at the start of semester 2

Interrupting at any time during semester 1:You will be liable for 100% of your tuition fee for this academic year and…

You will be liable for the whole tuition fee for the following academic year.

You will be liable for 50% of the tuition fee for the following academic year

Interrupting at any time during semester 2:

You will be liable for 100% of your tuition fee for this academic year and…

You will be liable for the whole tuition fee for the following academic year.

You will be liable for 50% of the tuition fee for the following academic year.

International students who interrupt their studies before the start of the second semester will not normally get a refund. You may, at the discretion of QMUL, be allowed to credit 50% of the overseas university fees paid in the year they interrupt against the fees charged when they resume studies the following academic year.

International students who interrupt their studies during the 2nd semester will not be allowed to carry forward any part of the fees towards future fee charges.

Overseas tuition fees as well as Home/EU postgraduate fee are set by QMUL and are listedon the website. In normal circumstances if you return from an interruption of study you would be required to pay the fees of the new cohort you are joining. However if the reason for your interruption was pregnancy or a disability then you would normally be allowed to pay the annual inflationary fee increase only. The amount of this increase is confirmed by the Fees Office in June each year. Contact theFees Officefor further information. The reason for your interruption must be made clear at the point of interruption, on the form.

If you interrupt after completing semester 2, so that the following academic year you are able to resume in the exam period, we have been advised by the Fees Office that you will be liable to pay the difference between the total tuition fee for the year that you interrupted in, and the total tuition fee for the new cohort you join on resuming your studies. For example, if in 2016/17 your tuition fee is £12,000, and when you come back in 2017/18 a new student on the same course pays £12,500, you would be liable to pay £500. However, if your interruption was due to a disability or to pregnancy, when you resume in the exam period you would only be liable to pay the inflationary increase between the annual tuition fees.

Retaking in attendance

You may be retaking all or part of an academic year, after failing your exams, or being exempted from your exams due to extenuating circumstances. Normally you will pay the tuition fee of the new cohort you are joining in your retake year. However, if you are retaking due to pregnancy or disability, instead you would normally be allowed to pay the same rate of tuition fee that you paid in your previous academic year, plus the annual inflationary fee increase. The amount of this increase is confirmed by the Fees Office each June.

Resitting out of Attendance

You do not usually have to pay tuition fees during your period out of attendance and there are no resit fees.

Transferring to a new university

If you have personal or academic reasons why you want to transfer to a different university, you may be entitled to a refund of some of your tuition fees. Refunds can only be paid directly to the university that you are transferring to. The QMUL Fees Office can advise you about whether the university you are transferring to will qualify you for a refund.

If you have paid your tuition fees for the year in full and you transfer before the start of semester 2, you may be entitled to a refund of 50% of your tuition fee, which will be transferred to your new university[1].

If you transfer in Semester 2, you will be liable for the full tuition fee for the academic year and you will not receive a refund. If you have not paid your tuition fee in full the Fees Office may instruct a debt collection agency to recover the remaining fee for the academic year.

Withdrawal

If you withdraw from your programme of study after enrolment you will be liable for your full tuition fee for the academic year unless you have exceptional circumstances (see below). If you have not paid your tuition fee in full the Fees Office may instruct a debt collection agency to recover the remaining fee for the academic year.

Exceptional circumstances

If you have to withdraw from your programme of study before the start of Semester 2 due to:

serious illness; or

the death of a close relative

you will only be liable for 50% of your tuition fees. If you have paid your fees in full, you will be entitled to a refund of 50% of your fees if you can show that you have left the UK. If your immigration permission is dependent on your studies at QMUL, you will not receive your refund until you have obtained immigration permission on some other basis, have become exempt from immigration control or have left the UK.

If your circumstances don’t exactly match those listed above, but you wish to explain your reasons for withdrawal and whether you can be exceptionally considered for a refund, you should discuss your case with the Fees Office:

If you withdraw after the start of semester 2, even if you have exceptional circumstances, you will be liable to pay the full tuition fee for the year.

[1]Contact the Fees Office to see if you are entitled to have any of your tuition fees transferred to your new university. You will need to have an unconditional offer for your new course before this is considered.

Disclaimer:Law, regulations and policies can change quickly. The information on our website is given in good faith and has been carefully checked but QMUL cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. QMUL is not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites which are provided for further information.